A Life in the Theatre

Without fanfare or set up, Patrick Stewart walks onto the stage of the Schonebeld Theatre and is greeted with great applause, for he is that well known actor of theatre, film and Star Trek. One moment later T.R. Knight appears and the applause grows again, for he is a featured player on TV’s GREY’S ANATOMY, though he is a creature of the theatre himself. They are on a backstage theatre set––actors. David Mamet’s rhythmic writing takes off, though he’s kept his usual profanity to a record low. What follows are snippets of just what the title suggests. There are dressing room scenes, snatches of performances where invertiblely something goes wrong and must be covered, rehearsals, scenes of social camaraderie and a discovery of character. The youth of Mr. Knight and the age of the amazingly fit Mr. Stewart make for great contrasts. Mamet explores what it is like for the young actor verses the aging actor––the insecurities of both for different reasons, the green verses the seasoned, the methodical verses the impatient, the social aspect and the loneliness. The scenes are not all connected, the timeframe is not known, these actors seem to be playing together in a great variety of productions––perhaps as part of a repertory company. This is simply an exploration and in the mind of David Mamet it is mostly funny––the seriousness of life only bleeding in occasionally. What I would have loved was if one of those few serious moments were strong enough to really move me, but the time was not taken to do so. David Mamet can’t manage that quality the way Edna Ferber and George S. Kaufman used to, but then maybe he simply didn’t care to. As it is, the show is worth it. It would be a delight even without Mr. Stewart and Mr. Knight, but those two wonderful people are in it and all the more reason to run out and buy a ticket. Neil Pepe directed the show with a swift pace on Santo Loquasto’s intriguing backstage set. Laura Bauer has designed some whimsical costumes that are made for amazing quick changes and Kenneth Posner’s light design caught the ambiance of backstage life as well as revealing a wonderful look of a darkened theatre auditorium during performance scenes. All of it is a valentine to the life of the actor.